This article explores the causes, symptoms, and impact of pediatric strokes, emphasizing the importance of early recognition and treatment. It highlights the unique risk factors for children compared to adults and discusses the role of pre-existing conditions and socio-economic factors.
In most children, stroke symptoms are similar to those in adults — drooping of the face and/or weakness and numbness of one side of the body. Unlike adult strokes, which are largely caused by lifestyle-related factors, pediatric strokes are often linked to pre-existing health conditions and infections. Pediatric strokes are relatively uncommon but are still a significant concern due to their potential long-term impacts on a child’s development.
The most common causes include congenital heart defects, sickle cell disease, infections such as meningitis, and trauma to the head or neck. Socio-economic factors, healthcare access, and genetic predispositions also play a role in regional disparities across the country. Paul Lee, an assistant professor of Biomedical Engineering has researched sickle cell disease and strokes in children. He has found that there are about 300,000 babies born every year with sickle cell disease, an inherited red blood cell disorder, living in sub-Saharan African countries. Sickle cell disease can cause a lower oxygen level and abnormal blood flow in the brain, which is associated with a high risk of stroke. Without treatment, 11% of children with sickle cell disease will have a stroke before they turn 20 years old. Recognizing a stroke in children can be challenging because the symptoms are often subtle or mistaken for other conditions. “The symptoms of a stroke in young people are similar to those in older adults,” says Dr Themba Hadebe, Clinical Executive from Bonitas Medical Fund. He goes on to say that the early signs and symptoms of a stroke in children may include sudden severe headaches, difficulty speaking or understanding speech, seizures or dizziness, problems walking or even nausea and vomiting. In the youngest stroke patients, congenital heart abnormalities or heart valve problems that lead to clot formation can cause a stroke.Dr Hadebe says: “Heart diseases and blood clotting diseases mostly cause strokes in children”,
PEDIATRIC STROKE CHILD HEALTH RISK FACTORS SYMPTOMS TREATMENT
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